04/07/2021
We were out vetting in the field this weekend with an amazing group of athletic and well loved dogs and their wonderful owners. Thank you, Ridge Runners Sled Dog Racing Club for having us!
The Waitarere Howler race weekend has come and gone and it was truly an exciting weekend. With freezing temperatures, all teams had brilliant conditions to run and enjoy the trails. Having some warm drinks and nibbles certainly helped to keep the chill at bay in between the classes :-)
But the race could not have happened without you, the teams and competitors! Thanks for coming to the race and making it a special event.
Huge thank you goes also to our long time sponsor Nature's Ki - Pet Wellbeing and we were exciting to welcoming Lily Mihaila our regional Nature's Ki representative. She bravely faced the early convoy to come to the race and experience sled dog racing for her first time. We had some really good talks about the importance of dog nutrition and high quality ingredients, and it just highlighted why the club keeps coming back to Nature's Ki - Pet Wellbeing.
A big thank you also to our IFSS International Race Judge Gabriele Altermann who was tirelessly keeping an eye on everything and did an amazing job of keeping the race event going smoothly.
Thanks also to Bob Storey our NFSSS Race Marshal, our wonderful timekeepers Heather Wald, Helena Horswell, Marilyn Storey
We were very lucky having an on-site vet again this year - Prabhpreet Kaur has been bitten by the sled dog bug and not only is very interested in sled dogs but also runs her own dog! And if you every have a dog with a pulled muscle or similar, Prabz is very experienced with dog acupuncture.
Thanks to Courtney Syverston and Rachel Syverston for very kindly offering to bring the hot water in on Sunday, super appreciated!
Also thanks to Caitlin Moffat, Mel Ellis, Reagan Macmillan and Henrikus Swart for being such a great help in the race preparations and throughout the event, always being there to giving a helping hand and see what needs to get done.
A very special thank you goes out to both Marc Shane Winterburn and Suzanne Tutana Savage Winterburn for being an incredible help during the race preparation, during and after the race, and for their most generous donations behind the scenes. Thank you! Marc, I hope your shoulder will heal well and in no time at all. It was such a shame that Marc got knocked out after having such fantastic runs - it feels really good having competition breathing down your neck :-D
One of the exciting things that happened during price giving was the surprise award ceremony for our IFSS International Federation of Sleddog Sports competitors to recognise their achievements during the very difficult 2020-2021 Covid-affected race season. Thank you to IFSS Oceania for making this extra effort and acknowledging the teams.
And finally, a big thank you to all the teams who helped breaking down the staging area after the race - it made such a difference and we got home while the sun was still up :-)
Last, but most certainly not least, we want to thank both our event photographers, Teresa Angell Photography and Mel Jane... looking forward to seeing all the shots soon ❤️
Phew, I think this really wraps up Ridge Runners Sled Dog Racing Club first race weekend of 2021 - I am sure that the RGO will be looking forward to preparing and hosting the main race event in 4 weeks' time, after we have all recovered a bit and caught up on some sleep :-D
Balto says "hi" to everyone and is looking forward to being out on the trails again at the next race weekend.
